October 16, 2011

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In the wake of a thwarted assassination plot against Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on Sunday called President Barack Obama’s policy toward Iran a “failure.”

Attorney General Eric Holder last week announced the attempt, which he said was “conceived, sponsored, and … directed from” the Iranian government. Asked by host Candy Crowley on CNN's "State of the Union" whether Obama has been too soft on Iran, McCain replied, “I think his policy of engagement with Iran has clearly been a failure.”

McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, added the United States should pursue “severe” sanctions against Iran, and “covert activities of some kind should be considered” in light of the assassination attempt.

“It’s time the American people were told by the president of all of the activities that the Iranians have engaged in,” McCain said.

Earlier on the same show, Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich also criticized Obama, saying the administration has been “absolutely clueless” on what to do regarding its policy toward Iran.

“We have done nothing of consequence to systematically undermine this regime,” Gingrich said. "You just asked what would a Gingrich administration do. The Gingrich administration would have said to the country, see? This is one more in a 32-year process of waging war against us and is further proof of why we need to replace the dictatorship."

Posted by Seung Min Kim 11:30 AM

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